Fusion voting

New York is one of eight states that have "electoral fusion" -- which allows more than one political party to support a common candidate. This creates a situation where one candidate will appear multiple times on the same ballot, for the same position. Electoral fusion was once widespread across the United States, but is now commonly practiced only in New York.

Opponents of fusion voting argue that the process results in dealmarking to ensure that patronage is rampant.[2] Proponents maintain that fusion voting allows for minor parties to actually make a difference during the election, allowing voters the opportunity to vote for a minority party platform but still affect the general election result.[3]

Candidates appearing in the general election will be listed below with colored dots corresponding to any party they will represent on the ballot.

Impact of redistricting

Following the results of the 2010 Census, New York lost two congressional seats, bringing its total number of representatives down from 29 to 27. A new map has yet to be finalized. According to a report in the Washington Post political blog "The Fix," New York is one of the top 10 redistricting battles in the nation.[5]